Page 35 - THE ONTARIO CURRICULUM, GRADES 9 AND 10 | Canadian and World Studies

All curriculum expectations must be accounted for in instruction and assessment,
but evaluation focuses on students’ achievement of the overall expectations. Each student’s achievement of the overall expectations is evaluated on the basis of the student’s achievement of related specific expectations. The overall expectations are broad in nature, and the specific expectations define the particular content or scope of the knowledge and skills referred to in the overall expectations. Teachers will use their professional judgement
to determine which specific expectations should be used to evaluate achievement of the overall expectations, and which ones will be accounted for in instruction and assessment but not necessarily evaluated.
Determining a report card grade involves the interpretation of evidence collected through observations, conversations, and student products (tests/exams, assignments for evaluation), combined with the teacher’s professional judgement and consideration of factors such
as the number of tests/exams or assignments for evaluation that were not completed or submitted and the fact that some evidence may carry greater weight than other evidence.
Seventy per cent of the final grade (a percentage mark) in a course will be based on evaluation conducted throughout the course. This portion of the grade should reflect the student’s most consistent level of achievement, with special consideration given to more recent evidence. Thirty per cent will be based on a final evaluation administered at or towards the end of the course.
Reporting Student Achievement
The Provincial Report Card, Grades 9–12, shows a student’s achievement at specific points in the school year or semester. There are two formal reporting periods for a semestered course and three formal reporting periods for a non-semestered course. The reports reflect student achievement of the overall curriculum expectations, as well as development of learning skills and work habits.
Although there are formal reporting periods, communication with parents and students about student achievement should be continuous throughout the course, by means such as parent-teacher or parent-student-teacher conferences, portfolios of student work, student-led conferences, interviews, phone calls, checklists, and informal reports. Communication about student achievement should be designed to provide detailed information that will encourage students to set goals for learning, help teachers to establish plans for teaching, and assist parents in supporting learning at home.
THE ACHIEVEMENT CHART FOR CANADIAN AND WORLD STUDIES
The achievement chart identifies four categories of knowledge and skills and four levels of achievement in Canadian and world studies. The components of the chart are explained below. (See also the section “Content Standards and Performance Standards”, on page 31.)
Categories of Knowledge and Skills
The categories represent four broad areas of knowledge and skills within which the expectations for any given subject or course can be organized. The four categories should be considered as interrelated, reflecting the wholeness and interconnectedness of learning.
ASSESSMENT AND EVALUATION OF STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT
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